Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is an Indian poet, lawyer and film producer. He is best known for directing the 2017 film Durga, which gained international recognition.
Wiki/Biography
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan was born on Friday, 8 April 1977 (age 45; as of 2022) in Perumkadavila village, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Aries. He attended three schools: Perumkadavila Lpbs, Trivandrum, Govt Hss Marayamuttom High School, Thiruvananthapuram and Christian College, Katakada. He received his Bachelor of Science in Zoology from VTMNSS Dhanuvachapuram, Kerala and his Bachelor of Laws from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 5″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Sanal’s father’s name is Sasidharan and his mother’s name is Sarojam. He has a sister.
Sanal Kumar Sasidaran and his father
Sanal Kumar Sasidaran and his mother
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s old photos with his family
wife and children
Sanal is married to advocate Sreeja Suseela. They have two sons. The name of one of her sons is Kailasapathi Sanal.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan with wife and children
religious outlook
He considers himself an atheist.
address
He lives in Melathil, MRA-35, Plancherry Lane, Punnapuram, Vallakadavu, Thiruvananthapuram-695008.
Profession
Sanal made his debut in the film industry in 2000 as an art assistant on the Malayalam film Mankolangal. He has also directed other short films including Parole (2008), Frog (2012), Ozhivudivasathe Kali (2015), Chola (2019) and Vazakku (2021).
Movie “Chola” poster
dispute
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan stirred controversy on May 6, 2022, when actress Manju Warrier filed an FIR against him, accusing him of blackmail through social media and defame her reputation. Following the complaint, Sanal was arrested by the police from Parasala, Thiruvananthapuram. When police arrested him, he went live on Facebook and told his followers that the police were trying to kidnap and kill him.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- In 2017, he won the Seaworth Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
- Won the Golden Apricot Award at the Yerevan International Film Festival in 2017.
- In 2017, it won the Best International Film Award at the Guanajuato International Film Festival in Mexico.
- He won the Disruptor Award at the 2021 Melbourne Indian Film Festival.
- In 2017, he won the Jury Prize for Best Director at the Valencia International Film Festival Cinema Jove.
- He won the Kerala Film Award for Best Film at the 2015 Kerala Film Awards.
- He won the Best Director Award at the 2014 Kerala Film Awards.
- He won the 2014 John Abraham Award Special Jury Prize.
- He received Special Jury Mention in the Aravindan Puraskaram Competition 2014.
- In 2014, he won the Mohan Raghavan Award for Best Director.
- In 2021, he won the IFFM Disruptor Award at the Melbourne Indian Film Festival.
Facts/Trivia
- Sanal follows a non-vegetarian diet.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan posts about his eating habits on Instagram
- His hobbies include traveling and photography.
- He embraced Hinduism as a child. He used to recite all the verses from “Sunderkanda” of Ramayana.
Sanal Kumar Sasidaran as a child
- He studied zoology because his father wanted him to become a doctor. After graduation, he told his father about his interest in filmmaking, but his father denied that this was why he studied law.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan while studying law
- While in law school, he became involved in politics. He is the unit secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organization associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. In his final year of graduation, he quit the party and started criticizing the BJP.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan with friends in college
- In 2001, he founded a film society, Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi, for crowdfunding. He has directed three short films and one feature film through crowdfunding.
- In an interview, he talked about the time when he began his career as a filmmaker. He said,
I had no idea how to make a movie and how to find a producer. I followed this kind of film social movement, the Odessa Film Movement, with avidity. I’ve read books about John Abraham, about his parallel approach to filmmaking and his “people’s cinema” philosophy. But I don’t actually follow any of this. Later I tried to make a movie myself and found many people, but no one wanted to make it. “
- In 2017, his film “Durga” became the first Indian film to win the Seaworth Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
- In interviews, he said he wrote fifteen to twenty pages of scripts for actors. He further added,
One location can provide a lot of input. My scripts are usually only 10-15 pages. The script of Ahr Kayattam itself is no more than 25 pages. Therefore, there is still a lot of room for venues and artists to perform. Basically because I’m someone who likes to watch movies on a spiritual level. I know this from experience. I’ve always felt that movies give you more energy than you put into them. My style is observation and recording. “
- In 2016, he posted a tweet about badminton player PV Sindhu after she won her second silver medal at the 2016 Olympics. His tweets are in Malayalam. His tweet in Malayalam was condemned by many. He wrote: “Now everyone is celebrating Sindhu’s achievement. What if I spit? What is there to celebrate?
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s post about PV Sindhu
- In 2017, his film “Sexy Durga” was renamed “S Durga” by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The group claimed the film’s title was inappropriate. Sanal filed a writ petition against the organization in the Kerala High Court. In an interview, he spoke about this and said:
This is how right-wing politics works. They don’t even need to see a piece of art to ban it. Prejudice is part of their politics. They always make the same judgment about each other. No matter who you are or what you do, you can be beaten or killed for growing a beard. They don’t even bother to ask before attacking you. That’s classic fascism, isn’t it? “
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan protests against name change of his film Sexy Durga
- In an interview, he revealed that the movie “Kayyattam” (2020) was shot on an iPhone in the Himalayas.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan shoots movie ‘Kayyattam’ on mobile phone
- In 2019, he pulled his film Chola from the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) as he felt the event was biased. In an interview, he talked about the removal of his film and said:
Chola was invited to participate in the Kaleidoscope section of the 24th IFFK. I am extremely humbled by this invitation, but I have sent an email stating that I will be withdrawing this film from the festival in protest of its clearly biased and unprofessional inclusion in the Malayalam Cinema Today section Selection process. I think it would be a huge irresponsibility for me to participate in a festival that is overtly biased and outdated in its selection process. “
- He appears frequently in various newspapers.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan in newspapers
- He is often spotted enjoying alcoholic beverages on various occasions.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s post on his drinking habits
- He is an avid dog lover and often posts photos of dogs on social media.
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan and his pet dog
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education